Portable lectern or the like



July 22, 1958 G. c. HENRY 2,344,347

PORTABLE LECTERN OR THE LIKE Filed Nov. 18, 1954 v s Sheets-Shegt 1 July 22, 1958 G. c. HENRY PORTABLE LECTERN OR THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 18, 1954 y- 1958 G. c. HENRY 2,844,347

PORTABLE LECTERN OR THE LIKE Filed Nov. 1.8, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet I5 PORTABLE LECTERN OR THE LIKE Glenn C. Henry, Otisfield, Maine Application November 18, 1954, Serial No. 469,664 3 Claims. (Cl. 248198) This invention relates to portable lecterns, music racks, and the like.

In my Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,587,316, dated February 26, 1952, there are described and claimed article and like supports which include covers and which can be erected and collapsed simply by opening and closing the covers. The present invention has,

United States Patent as its principal objective, the provision of portable lecterns and the like having that generally stated characteristic.

In accordance with the invention, a portable lectern or like support comprises a pair of hinged covers and a pair of hingedly connected supports each hingedfto'i'a respective one of the covers to open and close in response to the opening and closing of the covers. To accomplish this result, the hinge axis between the supports and the hinge axis between the covers intersect and define an angle which increases as the lectern approaches its erected position.

Hinged to the supports are ledge establishing members adapted to swing out of contact therewith into a ledge defining angular relationship. Preferably, each of these members also includes a portion engageable with a respective one of the covers, to be braced thereby when the lectern is erected. Preferably, the covers are also interconnected by means imparting rigidity to the erected structure and conveniently of the type described and claimed in the aforesaid patent.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown, as an illustrative embodiment of the invention, a lectern meeting these and other of its objectives and from which the several novel features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a portable lectern shown as fully erected,

Fig. 2 is a section, on an increased scale, taken along the indicated lines 2--2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a section, on the same scale, taken along the indicated lines 33 of Fig. 2, Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are perspective views showing, respectively, an almost erected, an almost collapsed, and a fully closed position of the lectern, and

Fig. 7 is a section, on the scale of Figs. 2 and 3, taken along the indicated lines 77 of Fig. 6.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the draw ings, two covers 10 are joined along corresponding edges by a double hinge defined by the hinge connections 11 and the spacer 12. The covers are adapted to swing along the thus generally defined hinge axis between the closed position shown in Fig. 6 and the open position depicted in Fig. l. The upper edge of each cover is downwardly inclined away from the cover hinge axis towards the bottom edge thereof as indicated by the hinge connection 13 between each such edge and a support 14.

Each support 14 is shown as rectangular with the fold line defined by its hinge connection 13 extending from corner-to-corner thereof. The two supports 14 are joined "ice together by a double hinge established by the spacer 15 and the hinge connections 16.

It will be apparent that as the covers 10 are swung into their open or closed positions, the supports 14 are brought into the plane defined by the hinge connections 13 or into a folded position between and partly enclosed by the covers 10. From a comparison of Figs. 2, 5, and 6, it will be noted that the hinge axis common to the covers 10 and the hinge axis common to the supports 14 and generally defined by the hinge connections 16 intersect to define an angle 17 increasing as the lectern approaches its erected position.

While the hinge connections may be of any type and the various parts joined thereby may be made from a wide range of materials or combinations thereof, the construction detailed in the drawings has proved to be acceptable in production and use. For that reason, and as shown in Figs. 2, 5, and 6, each cover 10 is shown as consisting of a main layer 18 and a decorative layer 19. In addition, each cover 10 and the corresponding support 14 include a common extension 20 equal in area to the portion of the. supports 14 that is exposed when the lectern is collapsed. In addition, each support 14 consists of a main layer 21 and a decorative layer 22. By this construction, as will be apparent from Figs. 5 and 6, the outer surface of each cover 10 and the exposed portion of the corresponding support 14 lie in the same plane when the covers 10 are closed together.

In order that the supports 14, when the covers 10 are opened, may serve to support a book, papers, and the like, their lower edges are provided with ledges 23 which include integral extensions 24 and have hinge connections 25 with the edges of the supports 14 that are lowermost when the lectern is erected. It will be noted that the ledges 23 may be swung from a position, in which they engage the outer surface of the supports 14, into a position in which, as is apparent from Figs. 1 and 2, they are disposed at a suitable retaining angle with respect thereto. When thus positioned, the ledge extensions 24 engage the inner surfaces of the covers 10. As shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4, each ledge extension 24 has an edge 26 formed for linear engagement with a respective one of the covers 10 when the lectern is erected. As a consequence, the supports 14 are adequately braced by the covers 10. The proximate edges of the extensions 24 are joined by a double hinge defined by hinge connections 27 and the spacer 28.

Secured as at 29 to the under surface of each ledge extension 24 and the corresponding one of the supports 14 is an elastic member 30 (see Fig. 2). These members 30 become operative, once movement of the ledges out of contact with its support is initiated, to pull and yieldably maintain the extensions 24 into contact with the covers 10.

Means are preferably employed to ensure that the erected lectern is suitably rigid in use. Such means comprise a first pair of members 31, each having a hinge connection 32 with a layer 33 secured to a cover 10 and a hinge connection 34 with a spacer 35. A second pair of members 36 is provided and these have hinge connections 37 with a spacer 38. The members 31 and 36 are joined by hinge connections 39 downwardly and outwardly inclined from their proximate ends. From a comparison of Figs. 2 and 4, it will be observed that the general hinge axes between the members 31 and 36 intersect and define an angle which increases to an approximate right angle as the lectern is erected. In order to ensure that members 31 and 36 assume a lectern bracing relationship to each other, each of the members 31 is connected by an elastic member 40 to the one of the members 36, to which it is not directly hinged.

With reference to Fig. 1, it will be noted that the spacer 3 15 tapers inwardly with its wider end being proxi nate t9 and of the same width as the spacer 12. The spacer 28 defines a continuation of that taper, which is necessary to en ure Pr per fo d ng o th -lec ern in he elationship illustrated by Fig. 7 from which the. elastic members 3-0 and 9 hav been cm niw la if t dra in F Qm t e ore ing, Will b ppa e t a po tabl lecterns and the like in accordance with the invention are well adapted to meet all requirements of use since all parts are securely interconnected and coact to provide a structure that, while adequately sturdy in use, is capable of being quickly and easily collapsed and erected.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A portable lectern and the like comprising a pair o in e co s a pai f upp e hng o a spe t 91 f d co e s a n an to t hin x s of the covers, said supports also being hingedtogether with the axis thereof disposed with-reference to said other axes to open and close in response to the opening and ,closingof said covers, and ledge means hinged tosaid supports for movement into a ledge defining angular relation thereto and including portions then engaging said covers as braces, and elastic members connecting said ledge means to the support to which it is hinged and operable to yieldably urge said ledge means into said angular relation once their movement has been initiated.

2. A portable lectern and the like comprising a pair of hinged covers, a pair of supports each hinged to a respective one of said covers at angle to the hinge axis of the covers, said supports also being hinged together wi h the thereof disposed w th i efie ence psaid othe axes to open and close in response to the opening and closing of said covers, and ledge means hinged to said supports for movement out of an inoperative position into a ledge defining angular relation thereto, a first pair of members hinged to said covers and to each other, and a second pair of members hinged to respective ones of said first pair and to each other with their mutual hinge axes intersecting at an angle the mutual hinge axis of the first named pair.

3. A portable lectern and the like comprising a pair of hin ed ro er m mbe a pa of pp membe s, each hinged to a respective one of said cover members, at an angle to the hinge axis of the cover members, said support members also being hinged together with the axis thereof disposed at an angle to the mutual hinge axis of the cover members, a first pair of brace members hinge t th .wv rs a d o ch o he a second pai f brace members hinged to each other and to corresponding ones of said first -named brace members, the mutual hinge axes of the two pairs of brace members intersecting atan angle, and elastic means interconnecting the brace members of the two Pairs thereof and operable to yieldably urge them into a position-in which said angle is increased when their unfolding has been initiated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,507,620 Barbara May 16, 1950 2,587,316 Henry Feb. 26, 1952 2,640,294 Walzak June 2, 1953 

